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CF Secret Santa 2014
CF SANTA
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
CF's Secret Santa Holiday 2014!
>Who Is This For?
While Critical Failures originated as a domain to give a home to the miniature game posters outside of G&T, it has expanded to encompass all of our gaming brethren and all are welcomed here. Don't be discouraged if you've never set foot in the mini gaming threads, we'll find a Santa to give you your own special gift of awesome.
>Awesome! What are the rules?
Just read on below!
Due to the delay in starting this year, names will be taken until 2359GMT ON FRIDAY 7th NOVEMBER, at which point no further names will be accepted. In the weekend following that date names will be picked at random and assigned to individuals, one name per entrant. The name you receive will be the person you will be gifting - and the point of this event is that you are a Secret Santa, so please don't go spouting off to all and sundry. Based on the preferences that your recipient will post when they register to be a part of the event, you will then be prompted buy/convert/paint/whatever you deem suitable for a gift.
You will then be able to collect or work on whatever is being sent. The deadline for your recipient to get his gift is going to be 31st January 2015 - that hopefully leaves you with plenty of time to put together whatever it is and get it sent out.
THIS DOES NOT MEAN TO START THINKING ABOUT MAYBE BUYING A GIFT A WEEK BEFORE THE FINISH, YOU SILLY GEESE. If anyone fails to provide a gift within a reasonable time (or at all), they will be summarily barred from the next event - or possibly worse (if you've ever perused the Who was Banned thread, the forum's collective Santa events generally produce one or two deadbeats a year - don't be THAT guy!). Past events have gone (in general) without a hitch and I'd like it to stay that way. Order sooner rather than later so you don't get screwed by some store/shipping/natural disasters.
>What would constitute a suitable gift?
This is where we unfortunately get subjective. I'd like to think we all have the good common sense to pick good gifts in this regard. For guidelines, I'd suggest something like $10/£6 (or $15/£9-ish with shipping) as a minimum. The minimum price on the gift is there to mostly prevent someone from sending like a single arm, half a body or the random pages that fell out of someone's crappily produced D20 OGL book. If you wish to do so then by all means go as far above this minimum limit as you want, it'd be awesome to see that sort of thing on the whole. Our current record, I think, is @Gabriel_Pitt who sent someone an entire fucking Tyranid army. You will basically be held to the honor system (and the threat of being pointed at and beaten with internet-sticks) to ensure that the person who you are gifting does not feel cheated. By all means, send a titan to your Santee if you wish!
Gift recommendation are a combination of what you're capable of, and what your Santee wants. A PnP gamer who's never touched bare pewter is probably not the right person to give a complete Cryx strike force too. On the other hand, they might greatly appreciate receiving a nicely painted rendition of their PC from their long-running forum game, or the latest expansion sourcebook in their setting of choice.
Even if you aren't that good with models, you can definitely still participate - nobody's ever said no to a boxed set, and it's a nice and simple gift. Books, modules, and other nifty aids to table top gaming will certainly go over well with the right people.
Single miniatures, books, or accessories are more than welcome and might actually be preferred in some senses, so long as they meet the $10/£6 minimum requirement. There's no need to feel obligated to get someone the Complete Box set of D&D core books just because they express an interest in the system (The PHB should suffice, but if you really are feeling generous...). Be careful though - it's no use having an amazing plan if your Santee never actually gets the gift. Don't go crazy and end up never getting anything sent.
>I live in [insert country no-one has ever heard of]. Can I participate?
ABSOLUTELY! Ideally, we would get a few people from all over to participate. To make sending the gifts easier I will organize people into categories based on location while drawing the names to try and keep international mailing to a minimum.
>How do I sign up?
Entries are not considered official until I (CF SANTA) receive a PM from you containing the following:
1. Your name
2. Your address Please include a country so I don't have to guess
3. What games you collect / play, or what you would like to see in a gift
4: Suggestions - 'I play Exalted' doesn't help your Santa much in narrowing down what would be a good gift. Saying something like, 'I play Exalted and have been looking at getting Dreams of the First Age, Graceful Wicked Masques, or Scroll of Heroes' gives your Santa an idea of what you wants, and helps Santa if he's not familiar with your chosen system.
If you do not send this PM, you will not be entered in the event!
I require this information to make sure that you won't all have to pay an arm and a leg in shipping to make sure these minis arrive safely and intact. Still, some of you may have to make the sacrifice and spend a little extra on international shipping. I will try to avoid this, but it may become necessary if I can't organize people close enough to each other.
DO NOT SEND ME A PM JUST SAYING "I'M IN"
Even if you participated in the last event,your personal information has not been kept. I also need to explain something - when your Santa gets your information, they receive it in the form of THE SAME MESSAGE YOU SEND ME. I literally forward your contact information and model preferences to the person giving you your gift, so the reason to make you all jump through the hoops of filling the information out is so that I have something to supply to your Santa. I also want to make sure I have up-to-date information.
When you sign up, please put some money aside for the gift right then. If you do not have said funds, do not sign up. The overwhelming majority of excuses that we always get are from people not having enough money to actually purchase a gift for their Santee, so I want to nip this in the bud. I realize most of you won't know at the time of sign-up who you're getting or what you're going to be gifting, but it's not unreasonable to put twenty-ish dollars or fifteen-ish pounds aside for the event right at the off.
After you've sent the PM, I'd recommend you post the games you collect or are interested in in this thread, as well. Too specific makes the gifting process a bit silly. List the games you wouldn't mind receiving items from, as well as what you might already collect, so your gifter might have some starting point.
>How do you assign Santas?
Utilizing super-secret scientific method and a crack team of genetically modified English muffins, we assemble the Santa Master List™ at a classified military installation fourteen fathoms down in the general vicinity of the Marianas Trench.
It's all done in one completely random shot. I don't tamper with it in any way, though I do take some requests into consideration in setting the names in the box up (For example if there are enough Santa's we may do regional draws... depends on the numbers. If you have a real problem with postage let me know and I may be able to tweak this a bit).
>What do I do when I send/receive my gift?
A few suggestions for sending the gift:
* Include your name (forum name) so people have some idea of who is sending them this wondrous bounty! It really shouldn't be all that hard to just write your handle on a piece of paper and throw it in.
* Consider using Delivery Confirmation/Tracking so you can track your package and make sure it gets there.
* Check in with your recipient via PM a few days after sending to confirm receipt if you don't hear anything.
Also, some guidelines for receiving the gift:
* Let your Santa know it arrived! One less thing they have to worry about.
* VERY VERY IMPORTANT: Post in the thread that the package arrived, and show off what you got!
* Take some damn pictures! Your Santa probably worked very hard on the gift, and we're all dying to see what's being exchanged.
One last final point: While lurkers are welcome to participate, I reserve the right to use absolute discretion in ruling people out of participation. If you have absolutely zero posts or a bare minimum number and you register on the boards to try and take part in this, I probably won't let you participate. Past events have shown that these users have been the most likely to vanish off the board never to be seen again, or otherwise welsh on their end of participation.
And if you DO try to mess around with the system, Santa will have your address. And a crew of trained hunting reindeer.
P.S. Santa went on a bender this year and that's why things are a bit late. The consequences of this error I pass on to YOU! Lightning round means we have less of a turn-around for signups along with only a short extension to gift giving. Join now!!!
>Who Is This For?
While Critical Failures originated as a domain to give a home to the miniature game posters outside of G&T, it has expanded to encompass all of our gaming brethren and all are welcomed here. Don't be discouraged if you've never set foot in the mini gaming threads, we'll find a Santa to give you your own special gift of awesome.
>Awesome! What are the rules?
Just read on below!
Due to the delay in starting this year, names will be taken until 2359GMT ON FRIDAY 7th NOVEMBER, at which point no further names will be accepted. In the weekend following that date names will be picked at random and assigned to individuals, one name per entrant. The name you receive will be the person you will be gifting - and the point of this event is that you are a Secret Santa, so please don't go spouting off to all and sundry. Based on the preferences that your recipient will post when they register to be a part of the event, you will then be prompted buy/convert/paint/whatever you deem suitable for a gift.
You will then be able to collect or work on whatever is being sent. The deadline for your recipient to get his gift is going to be 31st January 2015 - that hopefully leaves you with plenty of time to put together whatever it is and get it sent out.
THIS DOES NOT MEAN TO START THINKING ABOUT MAYBE BUYING A GIFT A WEEK BEFORE THE FINISH, YOU SILLY GEESE. If anyone fails to provide a gift within a reasonable time (or at all), they will be summarily barred from the next event - or possibly worse (if you've ever perused the Who was Banned thread, the forum's collective Santa events generally produce one or two deadbeats a year - don't be THAT guy!). Past events have gone (in general) without a hitch and I'd like it to stay that way. Order sooner rather than later so you don't get screwed by some store/shipping/natural disasters.
>What would constitute a suitable gift?
This is where we unfortunately get subjective. I'd like to think we all have the good common sense to pick good gifts in this regard. For guidelines, I'd suggest something like $10/£6 (or $15/£9-ish with shipping) as a minimum. The minimum price on the gift is there to mostly prevent someone from sending like a single arm, half a body or the random pages that fell out of someone's crappily produced D20 OGL book. If you wish to do so then by all means go as far above this minimum limit as you want, it'd be awesome to see that sort of thing on the whole. Our current record, I think, is @Gabriel_Pitt who sent someone an entire fucking Tyranid army. You will basically be held to the honor system (and the threat of being pointed at and beaten with internet-sticks) to ensure that the person who you are gifting does not feel cheated. By all means, send a titan to your Santee if you wish!
Gift recommendation are a combination of what you're capable of, and what your Santee wants. A PnP gamer who's never touched bare pewter is probably not the right person to give a complete Cryx strike force too. On the other hand, they might greatly appreciate receiving a nicely painted rendition of their PC from their long-running forum game, or the latest expansion sourcebook in their setting of choice.
Even if you aren't that good with models, you can definitely still participate - nobody's ever said no to a boxed set, and it's a nice and simple gift. Books, modules, and other nifty aids to table top gaming will certainly go over well with the right people.
Single miniatures, books, or accessories are more than welcome and might actually be preferred in some senses, so long as they meet the $10/£6 minimum requirement. There's no need to feel obligated to get someone the Complete Box set of D&D core books just because they express an interest in the system (The PHB should suffice, but if you really are feeling generous...). Be careful though - it's no use having an amazing plan if your Santee never actually gets the gift. Don't go crazy and end up never getting anything sent.
>I live in [insert country no-one has ever heard of]. Can I participate?
ABSOLUTELY! Ideally, we would get a few people from all over to participate. To make sending the gifts easier I will organize people into categories based on location while drawing the names to try and keep international mailing to a minimum.
>How do I sign up?
Entries are not considered official until I (CF SANTA) receive a PM from you containing the following:
1. Your name
2. Your address Please include a country so I don't have to guess
3. What games you collect / play, or what you would like to see in a gift
4: Suggestions - 'I play Exalted' doesn't help your Santa much in narrowing down what would be a good gift. Saying something like, 'I play Exalted and have been looking at getting Dreams of the First Age, Graceful Wicked Masques, or Scroll of Heroes' gives your Santa an idea of what you wants, and helps Santa if he's not familiar with your chosen system.
If you do not send this PM, you will not be entered in the event!
I require this information to make sure that you won't all have to pay an arm and a leg in shipping to make sure these minis arrive safely and intact. Still, some of you may have to make the sacrifice and spend a little extra on international shipping. I will try to avoid this, but it may become necessary if I can't organize people close enough to each other.
DO NOT SEND ME A PM JUST SAYING "I'M IN"
Even if you participated in the last event,your personal information has not been kept. I also need to explain something - when your Santa gets your information, they receive it in the form of THE SAME MESSAGE YOU SEND ME. I literally forward your contact information and model preferences to the person giving you your gift, so the reason to make you all jump through the hoops of filling the information out is so that I have something to supply to your Santa. I also want to make sure I have up-to-date information.
When you sign up, please put some money aside for the gift right then. If you do not have said funds, do not sign up. The overwhelming majority of excuses that we always get are from people not having enough money to actually purchase a gift for their Santee, so I want to nip this in the bud. I realize most of you won't know at the time of sign-up who you're getting or what you're going to be gifting, but it's not unreasonable to put twenty-ish dollars or fifteen-ish pounds aside for the event right at the off.
After you've sent the PM, I'd recommend you post the games you collect or are interested in in this thread, as well. Too specific makes the gifting process a bit silly. List the games you wouldn't mind receiving items from, as well as what you might already collect, so your gifter might have some starting point.
>How do you assign Santas?
Utilizing super-secret scientific method and a crack team of genetically modified English muffins, we assemble the Santa Master List™ at a classified military installation fourteen fathoms down in the general vicinity of the Marianas Trench.
It's all done in one completely random shot. I don't tamper with it in any way, though I do take some requests into consideration in setting the names in the box up (For example if there are enough Santa's we may do regional draws... depends on the numbers. If you have a real problem with postage let me know and I may be able to tweak this a bit).
>What do I do when I send/receive my gift?
A few suggestions for sending the gift:
* Include your name (forum name) so people have some idea of who is sending them this wondrous bounty! It really shouldn't be all that hard to just write your handle on a piece of paper and throw it in.
* Consider using Delivery Confirmation/Tracking so you can track your package and make sure it gets there.
* Check in with your recipient via PM a few days after sending to confirm receipt if you don't hear anything.
Also, some guidelines for receiving the gift:
* Let your Santa know it arrived! One less thing they have to worry about.
* VERY VERY IMPORTANT: Post in the thread that the package arrived, and show off what you got!
* Take some damn pictures! Your Santa probably worked very hard on the gift, and we're all dying to see what's being exchanged.
One last final point: While lurkers are welcome to participate, I reserve the right to use absolute discretion in ruling people out of participation. If you have absolutely zero posts or a bare minimum number and you register on the boards to try and take part in this, I probably won't let you participate. Past events have shown that these users have been the most likely to vanish off the board never to be seen again, or otherwise welsh on their end of participation.
And if you DO try to mess around with the system, Santa will have your address. And a crew of trained hunting reindeer.
P.S. Santa went on a bender this year and that's why things are a bit late. The consequences of this error I pass on to YOU! Lightning round means we have less of a turn-around for signups along with only a short extension to gift giving. Join now!!!
Sterica on
0
Posts
PM incoming!
If you quote this post, please delete the spoilered section, as @ signals notify people when they're quoted.
Thanks to ArcticLancer for assembling the chain last year, making it really easy for me to do this now.
I'm in, of course, but will send a PM tomorrow, as I need sleep. and the PM has been sent.
Sadly, HalCon is a week or two earlier this year than last year, and this is going up even later than it did last year, so ... I'm not sure I'll be able to easily leverage that for my santee again. Alas, alas ...
PM will follow soon.
Perhaps I can interest you in my meager selection of pins?
3. What games you collect / play, or what you would like to see in a gift
4: Suggestions
I'll be sending my PM soon!
Edit: PM sent.
Nintendo ID: Pastalonius
Smite\LoL:Gremlidin \ WoW & Overwatch & Hots: Gremlidin#1734
3ds: 3282-2248-0453
The Division, Warframe (XB1)
GT: Tanith 6227
Edit: The PM is in!
Island Name: Felinefine
We have 15 confirmed sign-ups, only 2 of which are outside of North America though.
With G&T secret santa I've had people in the US and Australia so I've used Amazon or local online shops to send them stuff, usually let you do a little note or gift wrap stuff too. Saves on shipping, then if I want to send some local stuff or a handwritten note I'll do that separately so it's cheaper.
Now it's time to star eying the LFGS's shelves more often.
PSN: TheBrayster_92
If there is anyone watching the thread thinking "should I / shouldn't I"... the Santas we have are all kind and friendly (though we cannot grantee safety if you are unsupervised around the Elves). If you haven't taken part in a Secret Santa in the past now is the time to break tradition and join the fun!. If you are more of a "lurker" than a "poster" that generally isn't a problem, new people are always welcome as long as they have some history on the forum.
If anyone feels the desire to "advertise" this in other appropriate threads in CF that you already participate in I don't think that is an issue... all I ask is that a) nobody spams it repeatedly, once is enough and b) don't push it in threads you haven't set foot in before.
Edit: PM Sent!
Been on these forums forever but this is the first time I've done a Secret Santa. It's been a year of the table top games for me so this sounds like a lot of fun!
Origin ID: Discgolfer27
Untappd ID: Discgolfer1981
PM has been sent.
Well now you've spoiled the surprise!
Origin ID: Discgolfer27
Untappd ID: Discgolfer1981
Maybe a rabid badger.
There's a whole world full of irate, but conveniently shippably sized, mammals out there.
With a total of 27 entries this year the Elves worked yesterday ensuring a random matching of Santa to Santee.
Everyone who has entered should now have a PM with the details of their Santee. If there are any problems with who you have been given, if you need to ask your Santee anything, or if you just need more information please let me know. ((I will check PM's every other day at minimum - if it is urgent can you tag me in the thread)).
If you entered and are not listed above or have not received a PM then please let me know ASAP!
Go forth and be Santa!
My one regret is that @Dayspring couldn't participate, and I could have sent him the bucket of purple paint Keenbeen proposed last year. It would have made the best wrapping for his real gift inside.
LET'S DO IT!
Perhaps I can interest you in my meager selection of pins?
Easter Santa?
Summer Santa?
Santa is coming to your town.
WHAT COULD BE INSIDE I WONDER
(i think this means I need to leave work early)
edit:
oh my god
this is super rad
gotta get those pics uploaded
My wife texted me while working, asking what I ordered from the internet (as she is wont to do). At first I was confused... I didn't order anything (I even had to double check various accounts to make sure I didn't order something and forget, as I am wont to do). Then I realized that it could be from my Santa... and then I found it out it was wrapped.
I came home and it was waiting for me in shiny gold paper:
The card reveals it's a Christmas come early, courtesy of @The Brayster
I started opening it... and saw some of what was inside--Is this what I think it is? Could it be?--I tore it the rest of the way...
It was! Dayyyyyyyyyyum
"It's fucking huge" -wife
Thank you so much Brayster! This is awesome!